Balto: Missing Pieces
by Ice Husky
Summary: The missing pieces to Balto's story: ... basically, the story is examined in more detail, new characters are introduced, and we learn the answers to all questions about Balto's past and future when i finally finish it
1. Chapter 1

**Introduction: A Note to the Reader: **This fan-fiction story takes place, at certain respective points, before, during, after, and in between the three 'Balto' movies. Although events originally from the 'Balto' movies are mentioned, their mention is to set the stage for this story, which is the "Missing Pieces" to the story: my completion to the puzzle of the many unanswered questions of 'Balto'.

'Balto' and all related characters are the property of Universal Studios. I do not claim any rights whatsoever to the following characters: Balto, Jenna, Steele, Boris, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Muk, Luk, Sylvie, Dixie, Doc, Morse, and Rosie are © Universal Studios/Amblin Entertainment 1995. Aleu, Dingo, Saba, Nava, Niju, Nuk, Yak, Sumac, and Aniu are © Universal Studios 2000. Kodi, Dusty, Kirby, Ralph, Dipsy, Mel, Stella, Duke, and Mr. Simpson are © Universal Studios 2005

**Nome, Alaska: January 1925 **

Balto ran home from the boiler room, tearing down the streets of Nome until he reached the abandoned boat on the outskirts of town that he sometimes called 'home'. He lay under his worn, old blanket and looked around. Boris wasn't there.

"Good," he thought. "That's the last thing I need right now: a pep talk from 'Uncle Boris'." Balto sighed as he watched the northern lights dance in the sky. "This has been THE worst night of my life!" he said to himself. He had been having the best conversation with Jenna he'd ever had until that pompous, egotistic narcissist of a malamute, Steele, had to ruin it. Now Balto had been blamed for a crime he didn't commit, Jenna was worried about Rosie, and the butcher would probably kill him the next time he was anywhere near his shop. He rolled onto his side and pulled his blanket tightly around him. He went to sleep; hoping tomorrow would be a better day.

NOME. STOP. PACK ICE CLOSING IN. CANNOT SHIP ANTITOXIN BY SEA. WE'LL TRY BY AIR . . .

**Anchorage, Alaska 1925**

Nicole, a border collie/husky mix, lay outside her doghouse on her owner's farm. She was taking a much-needed break from her life as both a sheepdog and a sled dog. After a few minutes, the neighbor's Border collie, Jack, showed up. Jack was Nicole's boyfriend, and they spent all their free time together.

"Nicci," Jack started, "are you awake?"

"Oh, hi Jack. Sorry, I've had a rough day. What's up?" Nicole replied.

"Nicci, I have something important to say," Jack began. "Do you think you could come into the woods with me?"

"Sure," Nicole replied. They walked off towards the trees together. They went into the forest every day, but something about tonight was special. When they reached a clearing, Jack began to talk.

"Nicci, we've been seeing each other for a long time, and I think this is for real. Nicole, I love you. For real, forever, for always." He nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"I love you too, Jack. For real, forever, for always." She licked his cheek and they kissed as the Northern Lights danced playfully above them in the star-filled sky.

**Nome, Alaska**

Balto tossed and turned in his sleep. A memory from his past haunted his dreams. He was with his mother, a beautiful pure-white wolf, his three sisters Jade, Sage and Luna, and his brothers Flint and Ikuma. Flint had pinned Jade, and Balto was fighting with Luna over a bone. Ikuma and Sage were chasing each other in and out of the den, and everything seemed to be going along smoothly. Suddenly, Balto's mother heard a gunshot, and began to herd the pups back into the den, but it was too late. The hunter moved out of the trees, pulled out his rifle, and shot at the white wolf.

"Nooooooo!" Balto screamed in his sleep. She fell, and the pups fled. All but Ikuma managed to escape. Balto watched from the trees as his sisters and brother fled, while the poachers picked up his mother and Ikuma's bodies. Balto's tears spilled down his cheeks onto the snow. The hunter's dog saw Balto, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and carried him to the nearest town, Nome. His owner chased him until the dog reached an old, abandoned boat, where he left Balto and turned to rejoin his master. Balto thought to himself in his sleep . . . _that must have been my father._ The dream faded, and Balto's sleep returned to normal.

NOME. STORM AT AIRPORT. PLANES GROUNDED UNTIL STORM CLEARS. MANY REGRETS . . .

**Anchorage, Alaska**

Nicole and Jack lay down beside each other. Tonight they would sleep in the forest; alone, together . . . the way they wished they could be forever. When they thought nothing could be more perfect, they heard a rustling in the bushes.

"What was that?" Nicole asked as she stood up, frightened.

"Relax, Nicci, it's probably just the wind," Jack reassured her. She lay back down beside him. They heard the rustling noise again.

"Maybe we should go home, Jack." Nicole suggested.

"No, it's probably just the . . .," Jack was cut off when a mother grizzly stepped out of the bushes. She stood up on her hind legs and let out an angered roar. The two dogs stood up slowly from where they lay and began to back away from the bear.

"Aiiie!" Nicole screamed as she backed into the bear's den and slid down halfway into it. "Jack! We're in between her and her cubs!" with that, the grizzly charged, and with one great swipe of her paw, she flung Jack to the left against a tree. Nicole screamed "Jack!" She leapt onto the grizzly's back and sunk her teeth into the grizzly's shoulder. The bear threw her to the ground, and she rolled into a tree, where a snowdrift fell on top of her. The grizzly turned back to Jack, and went to finish him off. She began slashing at him with her razor-sharp claws. Nicole couldn't take it any longer. She flung herself through the air, screaming "Noooo!" as she landed on the grizzly's back. This time she sunk her teeth into the bear's ear, snarling and shaking the ear back and forth. The bear tossed her to the ground with a moan, and lumbered off. Nicole rushed to Jack's side. He was torn up badly, and bleeding heavily.

"Jack!" she yelled. "Wake up! Please wake up!" she nuzzled the bloodstained white fur on his neck.

"Nicci . . ." he whispered. She began to sob.

"Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry! How could I let this happen? I tried to stop her, but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."

"Nicci . . .," Jack lifted his head and licked her cheek, ". . . no matter what happens to me, take care of yourself. I love you Nicci, and I'm sorry it had to end this way." His spirit was fading. Nicole lay down beside him, and stayed with him as he took his final breaths. Her tears fell heavily on the bloodstained snow.

"I love you, too, Jack," she sobbed as she nuzzled his neck; he was almost gone.

"Nicole," Jack breathed, "goodbye." Nicole's tears streamed down her cheeks and soaked her fur. She licked his face, but he wouldn't wake up. He was gone . . . she had failed him. The husky in her took over, and she let out a long, mournful howl.

She could never go home after this; nothing would ever be the same. The humans might even think _she _killed him. She had to leave this place, start a new life. She ran out of the forest, tears streaming down her face, and headed into town. She spotted a train car that's door had been left open. She went inside. This would keep her out of the cold for the night. For the first time, she noticed that her front right leg was bleeding. She licked her wounds, and washed Jack's blood off her fur. She buried her face in her tail and sobbed as she went to sleep.

. . . FROM JUNEAU, OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR: WE ARE SHIPPING ANTITOXIN BY RAIL. STOP. TRAIN LINE ENDS AT TOWN OF NENANA. STOP. SELECT THE FASTEST DOGS FOR SLED TEAM TO CARRY ANTITOXIN FROM NENANA TO NOME. STOP. GOD WILLING, TRAIN WILL MAKE IT THROUGH. ANCHORAGE. STOP.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nome **

Balto awoke to hear Boris blabbering something in Russian at Muk and Luk as they walked away from the boat.

"Aurgh! Boris, what's going on?"

"Those two balls of fluff came here at daybreak wanting to play a new game they've invented: 'Wild Goose Chase,' better known as 'Terrorize Uncle Boris.' When will those idiot bears grow up? They should at _least_ know how to _swim_ by now!" Boris complained. "Balto, are you alright? You were talking, more like screaming, in your sleep. 'Aaaahhh!' and 'Noooooo!' you yelled. What's wrong, kiddo?"

"I had a dream about my family . . . a memory from my past," Balto explained. "About when my mother and brother were killed, and all us pups got separated. I wonder what happened to them all?" he asked himself.

"Who knows? Look down there, on Main Street, what's going on?" Boris asked.

"A race . . ." Balto trailed off. He jumped from the side of the boat and ran into town. Today he could prove himself to Jenna . . .

"Oh, no . . . here we go again!" Boris sighed.

**Anchorage**

Nicole was awakened by the loud, shrill whistle of the train. As she stood up, the train lurched forward, knocking her backwards into a large crate. She went to the door of the car, but found it bolted shut from the outside. She turned towards the back of the car to look at the crate she had bumped into. It was marked "FRAGILE", and tied down so it wouldn't slide around in the car. Nicole got up to take a closer look at this box. A piece of paper on top read "ANCHORAGE TO NENANA. TO BE DELIVERED BY DOGSLED TO NOME. URGENT."

"Great," she thought, "Nenana is at least 500 miles from here. Well, I said I wanted to start over, so I guess now's my chance." She walked carefully to the side of the car, and peered out a small opening as she watched the endless expanses of snowy tundra zoom past. She thought of Jack. It was hard not to after all that had happened last night. Jack had loved trains, almost as much as he had loved Nicole. When he wasn't herding his master's livestock or with Nicole, he would be at the train station waiting for a train to chase. Nicole pictured him running alongside her train, and it brought tears to her eyes. Right before he died, although he didn't say it, she could tell from the look in his eyes: he would always be with her in spirit, as he was now. With this in mind, Nicole was able to control her grief. She lay back down in the corner of the car, hoping that the next morning she would be in Nenana.

**Nome**

"Balto, wait!" Jenna cried. "Balto!" She watched as he walked off into the distance, wanting to run after him, but she knew he needed some time alone. She had never been so angry in her life. Steele had some nerve to pull such a dirty trick! Balto had won the race fair and square, and Steele had to sabotage Balto's chances of ever being on a sled team by making him look like he couldn't be trusted. _"Steele doesn't care about Rosie or any of the other children"_ Jenna said to herself. _"If they all die of diphtheria he probably won't give a damn! It's clear that Balto is the fastest dog; and he sincerely wants to help. Why should his pedigree make any difference?" _Jenna's train of thought was interrupted when Dixie and Sylvie showed up.

"Jenna, are you losing your mind?" Sylvie asked somewhat rhetorically.

"Yeah," Dixie interjected, "I don't get it. Steele is in love with _you_ out of all the dogs in Nome, and yet you're completely _d_ejecting him." She meant to say _rejecting_.

"Precisely," Sylvie added before Jenna could reply. "Are you in denial?"

"No," Jenna answered with confidence. "I think I'm in love."

"With whom?" Dixie and Sylvie asked in unison.

"Balto." Before Dixie or Sylvie could react to this, Jenna headed for the abandoned boat on the outskirts of town where she had often seen Balto go. She had to make sure he was alright.

Dixie and Sylvie watched Jenna leave, looked at each other, and then called out to Jenna, "You're out of your mind, Jen!"

Jenna didn't care what the others thought. If only _they_ could look past Balto's pedigree as she did, they would see that his wolf heritage is what makes him unique. She walked up to the abandoned boat and looked around. She couldn't find a way in. She walked around to the other side and saw the narrow plank leading up to the deck. She began to walk up to the boat, but then she saw two polar bears at the stern. She panicked, and yelled for Balto; she didn't like polar bears . . . and for a good reason: her brother was killed by one. "Balto!" she called. "Are you there?"

Balto's ears stood up. "Jenna?" He got up from where he lay under his blanket, moved to the edge of the boat and looked over at the plank. "What are you doing here?" he asked confusedly.

"Do you know them?" Jenna asked, looking worriedly in the direction of the two white bears. The larger one had chased the smaller one to the bow of the boat.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, this is Muk and Luk," he explained. "Muk! Luk! Get over here!" Jenna took a step back. Balto noticed this. "Don't worry, they won't bite," he reassured her. "Jenna, this is Muk," Muk waved his paw at Jenna.

"How do you do?" Muk said very politely.

"And this is Luk," Balto went on.

"Hmmm hm hmmm humm hmmn," Luk squeaked.

"What he's trying to say is," Muk translated, "is that he's very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure's all mine," Jenna replied politely. Then she turned to Balto. "Balto, about today . . ."

"I don't want to talk about it, Jenna." He walked toward the bow of the boat.

"No, Balto," Jenna insisted, "we need to talk about it."

Balto turned to face her, and replied "Jenna, no musher would ever put me on his team. I know that, you know that, everyone does. I can't change my pedigree, I just have to deal with the fact that I'm half wolf, and all the discrimination and ridicule that comes with it."

Jenna stepped closer to Balto. "Balto . . ." she paused, hesitating to find the right words, "No matter what your pedigree is, I know you would never turn on me. You would make a better leader than Steele could ever be. You're different from the rest of them, and that's a good thing. If only the musher could see what I see . . . a good dog with a pure heart, even if mixed blood runs through it."

Balto walked back to Jenna. "Thanks," he said. "It's good to have someone who understands. I'm sorry for the way I acted; I was just . . ."

Jenna simply nuzzled Balto's neck, saying "It's okay. I know how you feel." She pulled away and blushed as she saw Muk, Luk, and Boris staring at her. "Balto, I have to go. Rosie's getting sicker . . . and I don't trust Steele with that medicine. I'll see you later. Bye." With that, Jenna ran off towards the hospital, as Steele and his team prepared to leave for Nenana the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Somewhere in the Siberian Taiga, Russia **

A grey wolf/dog with black under-markings opened her jade-green eyes, awakened by a disturbing dream. She stretched out her legs and yawned. _"That's odd,"_ she thought. This was the third time she had had this dream. _"Three times in a row is not a good sign, Jade," _she told herself. Her mate was still lying sound asleep next to her. She remembered how they had met a few months ago. . .

She was on her first hunt without the pack, and she was overly confident in her skills. She thought she could take down a 3-month-old caribou on her own, so she moved in on the herd, singling out the babies. She ran out of the bushes and caught the young caribou by surprise. She had pinned it down and was about to sink her teeth into its neck when she saw the mother caribou standing ten feet away, beating the ground with her hoof and snorting, about to charge. There was nowhere to run. The caribou lowered her antlers to the ground and began to charge at the young wolf/dog. She thought it was all over, when a white blur jumped out of the bushes and barreled into her, pushing her out of the way. Jade looked up at her savior to see a large, white wolf male, with yellow eyes that had piercing blue irises, standing over her.

"Thank you, ummm . . ." she said, realizing that she had never met this wolf before.

"My name is Kazan," he said in Russian. "And you're lucky I showed up, or you would have been a dead wolf."

"I'm Jade, and thank you for saving my life, Kazan. I don't know what I would've done without you, but could you let me up?" He was still standing over her. She saw him blush a little as he moved out of the way, and she stood up. They took down the baby caribou together and feasted that night. They talked late into the night, and Jade found out that Kazan had lost his pack to hunters, so she invited him to come home with her.

The alpha, Koryak, didn't approve at first, but he eventually gave in to Jade's plea. His mother had adopted Jade when she showed up out of nowhere and the two were raised as brother and sister. Soon enough, Jade and Kazan fell in love, and they became mates. . .

After her brief reminiscence, she decided to wake Kazan up. He always seemed to know what dreams meant, and she hadn't told him about this one. "Kazan, honey, wake up," she said as she licked his cheek.

"What . . . oh, hello Jade. Did I oversleep again?" he yawned. "I'm sorry."

"No, I just woke up early. Kazan, I've been having these dreams," She started. He looked at her with concern. "And I think they might mean something. I've had the same dream for the past three nights."

"Well, what is the dream?" he asked.

"It's a memory from my past. Something I never told you about," she said nervously. "It was when I was just a little pup. I lived in Alaska . . ."

"Then how did you get here?" he interrupted.

"I'll get to that. Anyway, I lived in Alaska, in a forest outside of Nome. My mother, two sisters, three brothers, and I were outside our den playing. My brother Flint had just pinned me, my brother Ikuma and my sister Sage were chasing each other, and my sister Luna was fighting with my other brother Balto over a bone. Suddenly, my mother, a pure white wolf like yourself, heard a gunshot, and began to push us back into the den," she paused and sighed deeply, her eyes shining, wet with memories of the cold tears that ran down her face that fateful day. "It was too late. The hunters shot my mother, and my brother Ikuma. The rest of us ran off and were separated. All I know is my story. I went into town looking for my father. I'm half husky . . ."

Kazan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "WHAT? I never . . . you never said. . ."

". . . And I'm sorry I never told you, I felt awful keeping a secret from you, but I felt I had to, some wolves just don't like dogs . . . and despise wolf/dog hybrids even more," she said, looking sorrowfully into his widened eyes, hers welling up with tears. She shut her eyes tightly and held back the guilty tears she wanted to cry. She hung her head and sighed.

"I couldn't find my father anywhere," she continued. "I ended up in the basket of a sled. The musher was on an expedition to cross the Bering Strait by dogsled, and I was along for the ride. So, that's how I got here. The dream is just the part about my mother's death, and my separation from my siblings. Do you have any idea what it means?" Jade asked as she finished her story.

"Well," Kazan said, "it's hard to interpret a dream now that I've just found out that my mate has forgotten to tell me she's not a full wolf!"

"No one knows it but you. I was planning to tell you soon, but I was afraid," she replied. "You know how Koryak is about dogs. He would exile me from the pack if he found out, and he would send you and the children with me . . ."

"CHILDREN?"

"There's something else I need to tell you . . ." she said slowly, looking at her feet shyly, "I'm not sure how you're going to react," She looked into her loving mate's eyes, hoping he would be delighted at what she was about to say. She gathered up her courage and spoke in a low, shaky voice: "I'm . . . _pregnant._"

Kazan's eyes widened in shock and then softened. "I'm . . . a . . . _father_?" he said slowly, then exclaimed, "I'M A FATHER!"

Suddenly, a voice came from out of the darkness behind them. "I'm so happy for you," the voice said sarcastically. Jade turned around to see Koryak step out of the shadows of the pack's cave.

Jade's eyes widened with fear. "How long have you been there?" She knew that if he had heard the whole conversation, she was doomed.

"Long enough," the alpha replied. "After the pups are weaned you and your family will leave this pack and return to Alaska when the Strait freezes over. Until then, be careful what you say to others, for they may be less merciful than I. If it were not for the fact that you were raised as my sister, you would be leaving now. Nonetheless, there will be no half-breeds in this pack!" With that, Koryak howled to awake the pack. "And Jade," he added quickly, "your true pedigree will be announced no later than one day after the pups are weaned. I always knew there was something different about you."

**Nome**

Nikki, Kaltag, and Star were talking in the Old Mill before the team set off for Nenana.

". . . and then that wolf/dog appeared out of nowhere and landed right in front of me. Balto went on, but _someone_ jumped on top of me, so I couldn't catch up!" Nikki explained to Kaltag.

"It doesn't matter, Nik! A bet's a bet, and I would've won that race if Balto hadn't," Kaltag replied.

"Yea, but you didn't _win_ 'dere Kaltag."

"But," Star interjected, "since that half-breed was disqualified, Kaltag _did_ win!" This time Nikki was the one to hit Star over the head, and the small, grey dog spun around and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Yea, but if Balto hadn't jumped down in front of me 'dere I would've beaten Kaltag by a mile!" Nikki added.

"Actually, Nikki, I had the inside lane on that turn, and you had been steadily losing acceleration. You would've ended up behind Star, if my calculations are correct," Kaltag said proudly as he defended his win.

"Which they always are!" Stare interjected again, before receiving another blow to the head from Nikki.

Star got back up and shook his head. Nikki and Kaltag were still arguing. Suddenly, the door to the Old Mill swung open and hit the wall with a loud boom. Steele walked in haughtily and yelled "Nikki, Kaltag, Star, let's go!" Star got up to go, but Nikki and Kaltag sat arguing. Steele, shocked by their disregard for their leader's orders, ran over and pinned both arguing dogs to the ground. Again, he growled, "Let's go! Now!"

He stepped off them and, in unison, they exclaimed "But he started it!"

Steele just rolled his eyes as he walked out into the night and said, "That medicine isn't going to deliver itself, now is it?"

Kaltag shot Nikki an angry glance and muttered, "You got off easy this time, but next time you're going to lose." They left to meet the musher at the sled, who harnessed them up and clipped Steele into the lead position.

Dixie and Sylvie approached the team. "Have a good run, Steele. We're rooting for you!" they said. Star looked on as Dixie flirted with Steele, and wished it could be _him_ getting all the attention.

Steele bluntly pushed the two flirtatious dogs away, and looked around. "Where's Jenna?" he finally asked.

"She's with her girl," Sylvie answered, "and Steele, she doesn't love you. She doesn't even like you."

"What?" he growled. "If not me, then who?"

"Balto," Dixie explained. "She told us herself."

Steele's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth, "_BALTO!_ _When I get back, I'll get you for this, wolf/dog. No one can steal Jenna's heart from me! You'll pay for this, Balto! . . . I'll make sure of it!_" From behind the sled came the cry of "MUSH!" With a deep anger inside, Steele set off for Nenana at top speed, venting his anger . . . for now . . .


	4. Chapter 4

**En route: Anchorage to Nenana **

When Nicole awoke, she half-expected to see Nenana, but instead she saw the same scene she saw before she went to sleep. The barren tundra and frozen rivers all began to look the same. Night had fallen, and the air had become much more frigid. The wind was blowing harder against the side of the train. In the distance, she heard the solemn howl of a lone wolf in the distant darkness, carried by the icy winds over the mountains through the dead of night. She curled up with her tail over her nose in the corner of the car, and slept on through the night as the bottles of antitoxin clinked along with the motion of the train.

**Kuskokwim Mountains, Alaska**

A black wolf/dog with grey markings howled into the night. She had been sent from the pack to survive on her own for a week, as was custom in her pack, to prove herself worthy of her place. She had succeeded, for a week had come and gone, but she had lost her bearings when a blizzard came out of nowhere. Now she was lost, and desperately tried to find her pack. A brown wolf stepped out of the shadows before her, barely making a sound as he walked on the fresh powder. Her sapphire-blue eyes flickered with surprise. The brown wolf greeted her with the usual formalities.

"Who are you, and what is your business in the territory of the Mountain Pack?" He was on guard duty. His aging father was the alpha of the Mountain Pack, and he would one day succeed him. He circled her and took in a sniff of her scent. The faint odor of his rival pack reached his nostrils.

"I am Sage, daughter of Aniu, of the Valley Pack," she answered him formally. Snow blew through the thick foliage of the forest, and the wolf grew tense at the mention of the Valley Pack. Sage then realized the gravity of the situation. The Mountain Pack had been the rival of her pack for generations. She would surely face death for intruding on their territory. She shuddered as she explained herself, looking solemnly into the wolf's glaring eyes. "I was sent away from the pack, as custom demands, to survive on my own for a week. The week is over, and I was heading home, but I lost my bearings in the blizzard. I am here completely by accident," she said, and hung her head in shame.

Normally, he would have done what any other member of his pack would do: take Sage to the pack for the sentence of a Valley Pack trespasser, but something about her made him shudder at the thought of her death. She was about his age, and pretty, especially for someone from the Valley Pack. Her bright blue eyes penetrated the darkness of the night, and his hardened exterior. They called to him _ . . . Please, spare me . . ._ She looked up at him, and his amber eyes had softened. "Come with me," he said. "I won't hurt you . . . I promise." She looked at him curiously, and followed in stunned silence. He led her to the border of the Mountain Pack's territory, which had been scent-marked numerous times. "Roll in the scent," he instructed her. "They won't know you're an enemy. Our pack is large, so large that even I, the son of the alpha, don't know all its members," he explained.

At that moment, Sage realized that this wolf was different from the rest. He had spared her life for no particular reason, and all he knew was her name. She knew only that he was son of the alpha of the Mountain Pack. "So, who should I be thanking for this, 'son-of-the-alpha'? Sorry, but you never mentioned your name."

The wolf blushed. "It's Nualto, son of Noatak and Valina," he said.

"Nice name," Sage said. "And I'm Sage . . . ," she repeated before rolling in the scent marks on the ground. Lying on her side in the heavily marked snow, she looked up at him and smiled. ". . . Now of the _Mountain_ Pack."

He chuckled and grinned. He liked this 'Sage' person. She had a sense of humor, and her eyes were an intense blue that made his insides tingle. Sage stood up and Nualto moved his nose to her neck, taking a whiff of the aroma of his pack on her fur, and half-nuzzled her in doing so. As he did, a shiver of sensation went down her spine, seemingly from the cold night air. "No one will ever notice," he said playfully. "Come on, let's go 'home'. I bet you're cold . . ., and tired . . . and hungry."

He was right. Sage yawned, and heard her stomach growl. She followed Nualto back to his pack's den. _I'll just stay here until the storm dies down . . . then I'll go back to my own pack, _she thought as she entered the warmth of the cave.

**Nome**

Balto watched from his boat as Steele's team went out into the storm towards Nenana. He sighed. "Why is it such a crime to be different?" he asked himself aloud in the silence on the deck of the abandoned trawler he called home. A wolf's howl pierced the false tranquility of this, the most troubled night of his adult life. The rest of the pack joined the howl, each member's distinct voice harmonizing with the leader. It reminded him of Steele's harsh words of a few days earlier. _Get out of here, wolf/dog! You'd better get back to your pack! _ The words echoed in his mind as the chorus of howls resounded across the night sky to his ears. "I wonder if I'd be better off with them?" he said, hanging his head.

The musical howling ceased, and one long howl rang out over the trees; in it, Balto heard the fabled 'Call of the Wild.' He tried not to admit it, but he found Steele's words to have some reason. "Steele's right; I should go back to the pack. Then no one will be able to tell me what I can and can't do. This town doesn't seem to need me, so I don't need it." Balto jumped down from the deck of the boat to the snowy ground below. He began to run for the edge of the forest.

He stopped to answer the Call, and as he threw his head back to howl, he thought of what Jenna had said the day before. "_If only the musher could see what I see . . . a good dog with a pure heart, even if mixed blood runs through it."_ He blinked a few times as he came out of the trance-like state that the Call had placed him under, and thought of Jenna. "I can't just leave her . . . I _love_ her . . . I just _can't_!" he said under his heavy panting.

The wolf howled once more, long and low: calling Balto to join him. Balto took one last look at the forest, and sighed. He turned back to the boat, and walked slowly up the plank. He looked out over the town, and saw the dogs gathering at the Old Mill. "They'll never accept me," he sighed, "but at least Jenna does."


	5. Chapter 5

**Nenana **

The train pulled into the station at Nenana, and awoke Nicole with a loud, screeching whistle. She jumped, forgetting where she was, and barked loudly. A man had come to unload the antitoxin from the train and heard the barking inside. He pried open the door and, to his surprise, found what looked like a border collie in the car.

Nicole looked up at the man in shock, eyes widened, ankles shaking, with her tail between her legs.

"Hey! What're you doing in here, mutt!" the man shouted at her. Nicole bolted out of the train car as fast as she could into the unfamiliar town of Nenana. The man at the train station ran after her through the blinding snowstorm, but soon lost track of her in the narrow alleyways. He shook his head as he turned around and began to walk back to the train station.

Nicole ran desperately through the winding, narrow alleyways of Nenana until she finally ran out of breath. She came to an abrupt halt and, exhausted, bent over and panted heavily. When she finally caught her breath, she hesitatingly looked over her shoulder, expecting to see the man from the station closing in on her. To her delight, she saw only a bleak, desolate alleyway, and snow blowing every which way. She sighed in relief. "Not quite a warm welcome," she said to herself with a shiver, "in any sense of the word." She looked around, seeing no kind of shelter she could take, and sighed again. She raised her nose into the frigid air and began to sniff for food; for the three days she spent on the train, she had neither eaten nor drank anything, and her stomach felt tight and empty. She caught the scent of meat, but she knew she would have to get into a butcher's shop to get that. There was a faint hint of kibble, the kind fed to sled dogs. She followed the scent to a place where a team of sled dogs was resting as their musher waited for the package they were to deliver. At the sight of these unfamiliar faces, Nicole lowered her ears and walked towards the food with her tail just barely between her legs, crouching lower to the ground. Just as she was about to take a bite of the kibble that seemed to be calling her name, one of the dogs woke up, and interrupted her.

"Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the dog warned her as he shook the snow out of his fur. "I may not live here, but I know this town doesn't take too kindly to strays."

"I'm not a . . ." Nicole began. She put a paw up to where her collar would have been, but it was gone, lost in the fight with the bear. Then it finally sunk in: she no longer had a home; she was, in fact, a stray. "Oh, I guess I am then," she corrected herself. She looked back up at the dog and began to explain herself. "I wasn't a stray three days ago," she started, "but something terrible happened, and I ran away from my home in Anchorage, got into a train car for shelter, and ended up here. I haven't eaten since I left home. Please, can I just have some food?"

The dog looked at her sympathetically, then put his head up and scanned the area. "I can't let something as pretty as you are starve to death," he admitted. She couldn't help blushing a little at his comment, but the sled dog noticed the beautiful stray look away from him, thinking of someone else . . . a lost love? Quickly, he changed the subject. "Hurry, before the musher comes back. He'll call the pound for sure."

"Thank you," Nicole sighed in gratitude. Before the dog could blink, Nicole started ravenously wolfing down the food, awakening her stomach from what felt like death; she had never gone this long without eating. She looked up at the dog, who chuckled when she met his gaze with her mouth full of food. She swallowed, and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said, her cheeks turning red, "I never introduced myself. I'm Nicole."

"I'm . . ." Before he could tell her his name, the dog was cut off by the shouting of his musher.

"Get out of here, mutt!" he called, kicking snow at her. She ran off, looking back at the tan husky that had been so helpful, and then ducking into a dark alley. The musher alerted a man from the pound, and as he finished preparing his team for the long journey ahead of them, the man went after Nicole. She stayed hidden until nightfall, when the snow had begun to fall hard again, swirling through the night air: a blizzard.

She shivered. Nenana wasn't what she had expected at all. She sighed; she would never belong here. Her thoughts wandered back to three nights ago, and tears came to her eyes when Jack's face came to her memory. She lifted her head towards the heavens, into the blinding snow and wind, and closed her eyes. _"What should I do, Jack?" _she silently asked him. The wind ceased to sting as it blew snow into her face, and she felt an invisible force lovingly nuzzle her. _"Jack . . ." _She opened her eyes, and fresh tears streamed onto her frozen cheeks as she forced a weak grin, wrought with both despair and joy.

Before her stood Jack's spirit walking, floating towards her. She ran to him and passionately nuzzled his ghostly form, tears still streaming down her face. _"I'm so lost without you, Jack . . . I don't know what to do anymore"_ she whispered. The ghost pulled away from her, and silently looked out into the blizzard. She moved closer to him and followed his gaze with her own. He walked forward, creating a path through the blinding storm. She followed, confused, as he led her back towards the train station. He stopped, and gestured towards the team leaving with the package from the train. Jack's ghost leaned over to Nicole and nuzzled her gently. With a gust of wind and snow, he passed through her, carried over the trail westward, following the team. _"_Wait! Don't go!" she called after him, running out into the storm, stopping when she realized her attempts were in vain. _"I need you . . ." _she whispered, staring off into the cloudy night sky where he had disappeared. She sighed and gazed after the receding form of the sled team, making their way through the forest. _"He wants me to follow them,"_ she thought, and ran off into the horizon after the team.

**On the trail**

Steele's team was leaving Nenana, with wind and snow blowing in their faces as they headed toward Nome. All Steele could think about was how he was going to make Balto pay for stealing Jenna's heart from him. As his large, muscular paws rhythmically pounded the snow, his eyes narrowed over the trail. All he could see was the destination: Nome, Jenna, and Balto's demise; he couldn't tell that his jet black coat was becoming white from the blinding snow, or that the rest of his team was close to being frostbitten. All he cared about was revenge. He sped on, ignoring the complaints from his teammates and the shouts of his musher to slow down.

"Steele!" Nikki shouted at the top of his lungs over Star and Kaltag's heads in front of him. "The team can't go no farther if we keep up this pace, boss!" Steele simply looked over his shoulder and cast a furious glance at Nikki as he kept on running. He turned and faced forward again, putting the whole of his weight and strength into the harness.

"Easy now, Steele!" called the musher from behind the sled, trying to slow the team by taking his foot off the runners and placing it on the snow speeding under him. The team was going too fast, and the musher stumbled forward, doubling over the handlebars of the sled. He grunted, and pulled himself back up onto the runners.

Kaltag happened to turn around then, and saw the musher fall over the sled. He turned to face forward again, and shouted as loud as he could over the swirling, deafening blizzard winds around them. "Steele!" he yelled, "We'll never make it to Nome in one long run! It's physically impossible! We've got to stop and rest before the whole team falls over from exhaustion and hypothermia, not to mention frostbite!" he said, panting. Steele shot an angry glance back at Kaltag, and thought he saw a black and white female jogging after the team he shook his head and she disappeared in the blizzard. He shrugged and turned back to the trail.

"They're right, Steele!" the other dogs began to shout. "We've got to stop and rest or we'll all die!"

The musher heard the barking amongst the team, and yelled out to Steele once more. "Easy, boy! We'll never get to Nome like this!" Steele refused to slow his pace, and sped on. The musher concluded that something must be wrong with Steele, his usually fast-tempered, but always reliable lead dog. "Whoa!" he shouted as he threw the snow hook out behind him. It caught the trail and sunk in, bringing the team to a sudden halt. He jumped off the sled and ran up to the front of the team. "That's it, Steele," he said soothingly, approaching Steele. "Just take a break. We all need it," he continued, out of breath. He moved his hand toward Steele's head to pet him, but Steele lashed out, snarling, and clamped his massive jaws down on the musher's hand. "AHHHH!" he groaned, clutching his injured left hand as he backed away quickly from Steele, who was still growling at him. Nikki, Kaltag, and Star immediately jumped out of their harnesses and put themselves in between the musher and Steele. True, Steele was their leader, and they had to follow him, but this time he'd gone too far.

Star turned and nuzzled the musher's hand, looking up at him with concern, as Nikki and Kaltag began to bark furiously at Steele. The musher smiled a little and unhooked Star from the gang line with his good hand, letting him follow him back to the sled, where he kept the first-aid supplies. He picked up the bag, but couldn't open the zipper with one hand. Star bit one end of the bag and held it steady as the musher pulled down the zipper. "Thanks, boy," he said softly, and patted Star's head. He bandaged his injured hand, with considerable effort, shivering from the exposure both his hands got while doing so. He slid his warm gloves back on, and cautiously detached the rest of the team from the gang line, putting distance between them and Steele. He fed the team and tossed some food to Steele, who glanced at it and turned away. He would leave the troubled leader alone for the night to teach him his lesson, and hopefully find his reliable dog back in the morning. The dogs moved in close to their musher and kept him warm as they slept, having never felt this tired in their lives.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the short chapter, but I have had some writer's block lately. Enjoy what I've got, I'll probably add more later.

**----**

**Nome**

Jenna stood outside the door of Rosie's hospital room, her ear against the wood, listening in on the doctor's conversation with Rosie's father.

"She's just getting worse," Rosie's father sighed. "Isn't there anything you can do before the medicine gets here?" he asked, knowing his words were in vain.

"There isn't much else I can do," Dr. Welch sighed. "I've already given her all the antibiotics I can. They will help heal what the diphtheria has already infected, but it won't stop the disease from spreading. For that, we can only pray that the team comes through with the antitoxin. Without it, I'm afraid Nome's children have little chance of survival."

Jenna heard Rosie's father scratch his head and sigh. "Thanks, Dr. Welch, for all your help," he said, distraught. Jenna heard footsteps coming toward the door and backed away as Rosie's father pushed it open and stepped out. "Come on, Jenna," he said, scratching behind her ear; she couldn't help but smile for a moment. "Time to go." She followed, looking back at Rosie through the crack in the door as it swung shut, and whined lowly. Rosie's father stroked the fur on her neck soothingly as they walked to the sled parked in front of the hospital. He had decided to take the sled to visit Rosie instead of walking. Mushing always helped him clear his mind. He hadn't had his own team since Jenna was a pup, and now that she was older, and strong enough, he let her pull the sled as often as he could. Someday, he'd get a team again, but he wasn't ready for that yet. He'd lost his prized team when they fell through the ice on a mail run just after Jenna, her brother, and her sister were born: his lead dog's litter. Memories filled his head now more than ever . . .

_The day was perfect, bright and sunny: the brightest day yet that season. Almost to Nome, he let the dogs run to their hearts' content. He trusted his leader, Copper, as if he was his own brother. He knew the trail like the back of his paw, and didn't need to be guided home. They approached a lake that appeared to be completely frozen, and began to cross. Copper had taken three steps onto the ice before they all heard a crack like a rifle had shot into the air. He looked down and saw a crack running under the sled and the whole team. Before they had a chance to turn back, the ice collapsed underneath them. The whole sled was pulled under. He let go of the sled, but quickly grabbed it again when he saw it floated a bit because of the mail. He pulled out his knife and was about to cut the team free so they could swim to shore, but they were sinking too fast. Somehow, Copper chewed himself out of his harness and dragged his musher to shore while the team flailed hopelessly. When he tried to pull the loyal dog up out of the water, he selflessly turned back to save the team, but the team and the sled drowned in the depths of the frozen lake. . . _

Rosie's father sniffed, closed his eyes tightly against the tears, and hitched Jenna to the sled. He didn't think he could bear to lose Rosie, if losing his team meant that much to him. Jenna saw the sadness in his eyes as he fingered the harness: Copper's old harness, and licked his face solemnly. "Oh, Jenna," Rosie's father said to her, "I owe my life to your father, you know," he sobbed. "You're the spitting image of him, only female," he paused, and sighed. "Will I ever mush again, girl?" Jenna's fiery, honey-brown eyes met his. She knew why he hadn't wanted to get Rosie the sled for her birthday: he wasn't ready to let go of Copper, her father, and the team. She hoped he would learn to let go, as she had already. She wished she could tell him to let go, but she would just have to hope he understood. She barked softly as if to say "I hope so," but of course, he couldn't understand her. He got on the back of the sled, lifted the snow hook, and called out "Hike!" Jenna began to pull, running as fast as she could towards home. As she ran, she saw the silhouette of a dog, Balto, on the side of his boat, looking off into the sunset, just waiting for the team to return.


End file.
